


When I Go There, I Go With You

by Rednaxelansfw



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Geralt isn't.. totally aware of what instagram is, Jaskier is a musician and documents his life on instagram, M/M, Or Is It?, Slow Burn, Social Media, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22164586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rednaxelansfw/pseuds/Rednaxelansfw
Summary: Geralt's job as a witcher isn't easy, travelling around the country to help rescue and remove protected animals from dangerous situations, he never knows where his next call is going to take him. Jaskier is easy going and ready for anything, making music anywhere he feels inspired about whatever he likes, documenting his life on his Instagram profile. An unlikely friendship makes for a life changing road trip, one that neither man will be the same after.--This will be a developing story of acceptance, personal growth, and love in unlikely places.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	When I Go There, I Go With You

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I have written in a very long time! I'm a little rusty, and I apologise, but I couldn't get this idea out of my head!

"Geralt!"

"No."

Pausing in his approach with a pout of his lips, Jaskier narrowed his eyes before he resumed his path, standing beside the taller man with his hands on his hips. "Don't be rude, you don't even know what I'm about to say!" At this, his companion stood tall from where he had been leaning over the open hood of his car, raising an eyebrow whilst he wiped his hands with an oil-stained rag. "Is that even helping? You look like you're just making your hands  _ dirtier _ ."

"Jaskier."

"Ah, yes- well, I was thinking-"

"That makes a change." Unable to help interrupting his friend, Geralt's lips curled into an amused smirk as the musician began his predictable sputtering, his mouth forming multiple attempts at words without managing to get any of them out. It wasn't often, but on occasion it was possible to render him speechless; it never lasted though.

"Will you stop interrupting? Now, since you're going off on this call, why don't I travel with you to keep you company?" As soon as the suggestion left his lips, Geralt's smirk dropped and his expression twisted into one of vague annoyance, but Jaskier cut him off before he could voice any complaint. "Now, I know what you're thinking:  _ Jaskier, I'm not bringing you with me, you're too valuable _ . Well, as sweet as your concern is for me, I actually think this could be beneficial for you." Ignoring the incredulous look the taller man was giving him for the crude impression he had done of the deeper voice, Jaskier continued to talk animatedly by gesturing to the car and its owner. "Your business has slowed up some recently, you've said so yourself, so why don't I help you set up an Instagram for your work? I could take some pictures of you working to get you started, then afterwards you can keep it up with my guidance!"

"So let me get this straight..." Geralt began as he closed the hood of his car, giving the surface a gentle pat out of habit. "You want to come on a three day journey to give me a lecture on how to use social media?" 

"As a bonus to my companionship, yes. I will also be providing music, naturally. Come on Geralt! It will be so much better than making the journey all by yourself." As soon as his mouth opened to respond, Jaskier held up a finger as a frown creased what little of his forehead was visible beneath his hair. "Don't start with your whole 'I prefer to be alone' speech, it's bullshit. Besides, it's only three days, what could possibly happen?"

* * *

The pair decided to set off the next day in the early morning, much to the disapproval of the late-rising musician. Despite his bleary eyes and quite grumbling, he did stop his complaining for long enough to take a picture of the sunrise, then as soon as it was uploaded onto his profile he instantly went back to his exhausted complaints. Under Geralt's instructions to pack lightly he had decided to bring one bag of clothing and his guitar case, which was packed into the back seat by the driver with an exasperated sigh. Jaskier wasted no time in climbing into the passenger seat, blanket wrapped tightly around his body as he leaned himself against the door with his head resting on the window, eyes closed as he already began to fall asleep. Outside of the car, Geralt was stood staring up at the sky as it shifted in hue, the sun rising slowly above the hills in the distance. He kept watching until the sun was fully exposed and it forced him to avert his gaze, seating himself behind the steering wheel and starting the engine.

Blissful silence lasted for about an hour before Jaskier awoke, stretching his arms out in front of him then above his head to stretch out his back, letting out several groans of varying pitches. "Morning." He hummed cheerily in Geralt's direction, grinning up at the man driving before diverting his attention to unwrapping the blanket from around himself, scrunching it up into a ball with his hands before throwing it over his shoulder and onto the back seat.

"Hm." Geralt greeted, reaching over with one hand to tap the time displayed on the console of the car. "It's before noon, I didn't think you woke this early."

"I'm not lazy!" Jaskier sputtered, giving a huff heavy enough to shake his shoulders before he lifted one hand up to his hair, which was sticking out in odd directions due to his movement against the car window. “I just have no reason to get up early on a regular basis, I work whenever I want to and I’m not going to act like it isn’t the best life ever.” As if his words reminded him, Jaskier then pulled out his phone and began to tap away on it, idly scrolling through the updates he had missed while he had been asleep.

“It’s a wonder that you get anything done at all, considering how easily distracted you are.” Geralt commented with a glance at the younger man, but he didn’t divert his attention away from the road for much longer than a few seconds.

“Says you sneaking glances at me, keep your eyes on the road you scoundrel.” Came the flirtatious response, followed by rich laughter that shook the musician’s chest, his head falling back against the seat to reveal his throat. If Geralt snuck another glance at that expanse of skin, then no one would be able to prove it.

“I don’t need any encouragement to ignore you, Jaskier.” He replied dryly, the laughter from the other side of the car dying down in response.

“Alright then, if you’re going to be like that, then I’m going to make my own entertainment.” Jaskier declared, reaching forward to turn on the radio and causing the driver to grimace at the sudden static as the unused device sparked to life, upbeat music filling the car and breaking any potential for comfortable silence. Taking a sharp breath in preparation to scold Jaskier’s choice to play music, the words died in his throat before he could begin to voice them, sweet singing cutting him off and leaving him in a shocked silence.

This wasn’t the first time Geralt had heard his friend sing, he had heard him sing before they had even begun to get to know one another, sitting across the room from where Jaskier had been performing he was able to admire the musician’s skill with both his guitar and his voice. Even so, it was always a pleasant surprise to hear him sing. Each note was sung just as beautifully as the last, Jaskier’s restless body was writhing in the seat as the music coarsed through him, swaying his shoulders instead of his hips; his hands alternated their movement but always contributed to making noise, patting his thighs or clicking his fingers along to the beat.

Even so, Geralt didn’t rush to throw compliments around- Jaskier had a big enough ego as it was.

The pair had began their journey in Posada and were heading to Dillingen where the job call had come from; while it may seem strange for someone to be called when they’re a three day drive away, it was typical for Geralt and the other exotic animal controllers known as witchers, since they were so few in number but very high in demand. He had happened to be the nearest witcher by far, with his coworkers working further south, but there were no complaints on Geralt’s behalf since it meant that he was earning money. There weren’t many roads leading through Posada, so it was easy to navigate their way out of Dol Blathanna and onto the main road, which was where they had just arrived when Jaskier had woken up. Now, with him singing away the minutes, they tried to enjoy the smooth ride as the road lead them through the county of Aedrin.

The plan for the journey was simple, to drive for most of the daylight and then stopping only for short breaks as necessary before finally for a meal and to sleep, before repeating it for the next two days.

Just as Geralt had managed to find some peacefulness in the drive, there was a loud noise that caused an abrupt silence in the car, Jaskier’s singing ending mid sentence as his face flushed red and his hands flew to cover his stomach, staring wide-eyed at it before he looked up at his companion sheepishly. “I guess I don’t need to say I’m hungry now, huh?”

“I should have expected your stomach to be as loud as your mouth.” Geralt commented with an amused snort, which earned him a smack on the arm from the musician.

“Do you get paid to be so mean to me? I can’t think of any other reason you would be.” Shifting his position in the seat so that he was sitting up straight, Jaskier looked around the roadside for a service sign, his hands tucked underneath the outsides of his thighs not unlike a child would do. “We must be near a shop or something right?”

“Couple miles away, yeah. Relax, you won’t waste away  _ that _ quickly.” Geralt teased, glancing over at his friend as his stomach growled again- he had to admit, he was hungry too, but not as noisily.

“I feel like it! Geralt, I feel like there’s a hole in my stomach!” Abandoning his posture and flopping dramatically against the door, Jaskier let out a pitiful whine as he pouted his lips. “I need food.”

At this point the witcher was ignoring him, focusing on transitioning out of the fast lane as the first sign came up for the next service turning, then turning off into the car park as it came up. The musician soon perked up as he realised that they were no longer on the motorway, picking himself up off of the door and rubbing his stomach as it let out its quietest growl yet. He was already out of his seatbelt by the time the car was parked, climbing out and waiting for Geralt to follow after locking his car, practically bouncing as he walked alongside him towards the service building.

“You’re like a dog waiting to be given a treat.” The taller man observed, an amused glint in his eyes as the corner of his lips twitched upwards, something which caught the attention of Jaskier so much that he stumbled.

Geralt wasn’t the most expressive man, he was stoic and serious most of the time, but beneath that there was a side of him that Jaskier longed to explore. He caught hints of it, like the light hearted teasing and the amused glances...It was addictive. Most people took him at face value and labelled him an unfeeling asshole, but nobody took the time to see past that, to understand his motives and to look closer to his heart. Jaskier did- or at the very least he tried. Any reaction he managed to get from Geralt was a gift and he treasured the memory of each small smile; it was like taking a drug, chasing every small affection in hope for more.

Grabbing Jaskier by the back of his collar before he fell onto his face, Geralt fixed him with a concerned stare. His lips parted as if he were going to say something, but he seemed to decide against it, pressing them together again and letting out a short hum before letting go.

It was about 11am now so the service station was fairly busy, the food court was almost full will all sorts of travellers, groups and solo individuals all chattering to each other or into their phones, a mixture of different food brands littered across the tables. It was loud in here, a constant hum of noise that made Geralt clench his jaw in irritation, trying his best to try and ignore it but finding it near impossible. Jaskier however wasn’t phased in the slightest, considering his bubbly personality and his heavily social lifestyle, he welcomed the background noise as opposed to empty silence. Grumbling under his breath about how they should make this quick, Geralt placed a hand onto his companion’s shoulder and gripped it, ushering him towards the Subway, which was closest to them.

“Not one for fast food?” The musician questioned as he stood at the counter, his eyes quickly scanning the menu boards.

“Not really.” Was the grunted response, indulging further explanation as an eyebrow was raised at him. “Besides, I’m in the mood for a decent salad, not sweet buns and dry meat.”

“Savage.” Jaskier snickered as he folded his arms tightly against his chest, hugging himself in a subconsciously comforting habit, waiting to give his order.

As the pair gave their orders and waited for their food to be made- with Geralt getting extra everything to the point where the poor employee struggled to fit it all into the sub, and had to use several wraps to keep it all together since it wouldn’t coven  _ close _ \- they found an empty space towards the edge of the food court near the doors. Even here, the witcher was still tense with his irritation from the noise, to the point where Jaskier sighed and put down his sub to speak.

“If it bothers you that much, why don’t we go and eat outside?” He suggested, his lips curled into a small smile.

There were a few moments of silence between the two as Geralt finished chewing his mouthful, washing it down with a quick sip of his drink. “The benches are wet from the rain last night, I saw them when we came in, and I doubt you would want to have to sit through the rest of the drive with soaking trousers.” After this, he didn’t wait for dismissal of the conversation to take another bite of his sub, the sauce leaking out of the sides and sneaking across his lips, his tongue darting out to swipe it up before his fingers came up to remove what his tongue couldn’t reach. 

Jaskier hadn’t realised he had been staring, watching Geralt’s tongue across his lips with a growing flush spreading across his skin, leaving him red as the witcher’s brow creased with concern.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes!” The musician blurted abruptly, only managing to embarrass himself more. Taking a large mouthful of his drink before clearing his throat, he gave a single nod and shifted in his seat. “Sorry, yes, I’m just feeling a bit warm.” Taking another few gulps of his drink in an attempt to distract himself from what he had seen, he then made a vague gesture over towards the car park. “What about the car?”

Pausing mid chew, Geralt fixed him with a stare that made him feel like he would wither and die on the spot. “No food in Roach.”

“ _ Roach? _ ”

“My car is called Roach.” As Jaskier let out a confused sputter from the declaration, the grey-haired male continued. “Regardless, the last time someone ate in Roach, I had to get her professionally cleaned and it was expensive. I would rather not do that again.”

The brunette’s mind was reeling from everything that Geralt had just said to him, staring slack jawed before gathering his thoughts with a shake of his head. “Okay, people have car rules, that’s fine- but Roach? Like, a cockroach?”

“Did you just call my car a cockroach?” Came the growled response, the complete seriousness of his tone startling Jaskier into laughter, of which he had to cover his mouth to calm before he could speak again.

“It’s just an odd choice for the name of a car, that’s all, I didn’t mean any offence. It’s a nice name, strong. Really! I think it’s good to have something unique, that’s why I don't go by my birth name, why have a name that’s like other people? That’s just boring, don’t you agree? Geralt? Why are you looking at me like that?” While the musician continued his rambling, the witcher stood and scrunched up the empty wraps his sub had come in, approaching a bin and throwing the ball of paper inside. Meanwhile, Jaskier scrambled up and gathered his own rubbish, quickly following his companion. “Geralt, don’t leave me here!”

The pair took a few moments to get some drinks- which Geralt insisted was only water- then didn’t hang around at the service station for any longer. As they got back into the car, they made their way back onto the motorway for a few more hours, the Witcher only stopping briefly on their journey for them to stop at another service station and relieve themselves. Most of the journey was relatively smooth since Aedrin was quite quiet and less populated than other regions of the country, but as they began to approach the border with Temeria the roads began to fill with traffic, thus delaying their journey enough that when it came to the evening they ended up stopping in Burdorff rather than Ellander as Geralt had planned.

Jaskier was the one who found them the bed and breakfast they were now staying in, his keen eyes had been looking out for somewhere to eat until he spotted a vacancy sign, vigorously patting Geralt’s arm with no apparent care for the fact that he could have caused them to swerve. To his delight, there was a simple pub on the corner of the same street, the pair able to get a decent hot meal and a few drinks, the witcher treating himself to a pint after a full day of driving, while his companion kept to soft drinks.

Their room in the b&b was simple but cozy, two twin beds on either side of the room with a bedside table and lamp each, a shared bathroom off to the right and a small tv mounted onto the wall facing the beds. Tuning out Jaskier’s complaints about being able to afford somewhere bigger, the witcher pulled off his shoes and sat down on the free bed, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Come on, let’s get some rest, we have a whole day of driving again tomorrow.” Jaskier spoke softly, shrugging out of his jacket and folding it up to place it at the foot of the bed. “Mind if I brush my teeth first?” With the shake of Geralt’s head his only permission, he jumped up and grabbed his toiletries bag before walking into the smaller room, not bothering to shut the door as he began to brush his teeth. In the reflection of the mirror in front of him, he noticed that Geralt was undressing himself, but as soon as he saw a flash of skin he quickly averted his eyes, spitting out his toothpaste and splashing his flushed face with water as he cleaned himself up.

By the time he turned around to walk back into the shared bedroom he found that the witcher had already climbed underneath his duvet, rubbing his face in a tell of how the exhaustion of the day’s travel was tolling on him.

“Finally.” Jaskier sighed as he slid between the cool sheets, closing his eyes for a blessed moment of peace before he turned to face his friend. “What time will we be leaving in the morning?”

“The same time as today.” Came the simple reply, but the words were slower, even the pitch of his voice had dropped from how sleep began to slowly consume the witcher. 

“I’ll leave my alarm as it is then, good night!” Reaching over to turn off his light, the musician closed his eyes and was soon lost in his dreams, leaving Geralt alone to use the bathroom before returning to his bed for the night. Tomorrow they began their second leg of the journey, two more until he got paid, then he would likely part ways with Jaskier until the next time they crossed paths. Perhaps, he thought, he might have a chance to visit Ciri once his job was done.

With that thought, his lips formed a small smile before he allowed sleep to claim him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to everyone on the discord server who supported me in writing this fic, please let me know what you thought in the comments!


End file.
